Russian Vodka

The origins of Vodka have always been debatable. Some historians claim that the mention of vodka dates back to late 9th century in Russia whereas there are records which say it was used in the 8th century in Poland. Vodka is the speciality of Russians considering the weather. It is highly consumed in the European belt. Russians are known to be ardent Vodka drinkers. Vodka is an integral part of Russian culture and lifestyle; there are many jokes and stories associated to vodka consumption. It always tops the priority list when it comes to alcohol consumption.
Vodka is made using a complicated process which involves distillation. Water and pure grain alcohol is used for this. It is said that the difficulty of growing grapes in such cold climate resulted in the use of fermented grain for producing vodka. Russians usually have Vodka along with zakuski (snacks) after each shot or black bread is sniffed in order to soak up the alcohol. Zakuski or snacks usually consists of pickles or something sour. Drinking is very much a part of every meal and it becomes very difficult to say no to a host who has invited you for lunch or dinner.
Apart from being alcoholic beverage vodka is used in a variety of other things. It is used as a medicine, cosmetic, antiseptic, cleaning substance, in food etc. During World War 2 vodka used to save lives. In case of poison a shot of Vodka with salt actually prevents the poison from spreading. The mixture is also cures diarrhoea. It is a well-known remedy for reducing body temperature. Applying some vodka on a sponge and wiping the body with it makes the body cold and brings down body temperature. It is also used to cure frostbites, toothaches and joint aches and is known to be a great antiseptic.
Vodka is also used as cleaning substance. One can used a few drops of Vodka to clean their glasses. The presence of alcohol in Vodka helps dissolve oil and fat. Thus it is used to clean collars and cuffs of woollen jackets. This is done using a tissue dipped in vodka after it is cleaned the cloth has to be ironed with a plain tissue on the top till the area concerned dries. Hair breakage and hair fall can be cured using 200gms of Vodka with one hot chilly pepper, keep the concoction for a week. Before washing the hair this mixture is applied to the roots. This is then washed off after an hour. This works as an excellent cure for hair damage. It also works well for acne and other skin problems. Vodka is also used in a variety of dishes. A lot of recipes made of fish have vodka as their main flavour. It adds that extra edge to the flavour making the whole dish exotic. It is added in yeast based dough to make it puffier. Cocktails like Bloody Mary, White Russian, Otvertka, cosmopolitan and Vodka Martini use Vodka as their main ingredient.
A lot of places in Russia produce adulterated Vodka which is known to be very fatal. People end up loosing their lives after consuming this kind of vodka which is made by distilling all the wrong ingredients. Manufacturers do this in order to cut expenses and increase production.Thus it is advised to purchase only well-known brands in order to ensure authenticity. Smirnoff is the most widely known brand of Vodka not only in Russia but all over the world. Its popularity comes from
the fact that the house of Smirnoff was the purveyor to the Romanov Tzars.